Greek Economy, Society, and Cultural Life (245-255)
The Fruits of Trade: Greek Economy and Society The Greek Peninsula's geographic position posed many challenges. (S.N.) Rocky soil prevented some agriculture and mountainous regions hindered travel and communication, (T.T.) but the Greeks put forth and immense effort that made trade possible. The Greeks depended on maritime trade because of the Balkan Mountains. (S.N.)
Trade and Integration of the Mediterranean Basin
The Mediterranean region did not support much grain production so it relied on the cultivation of grapes and olives. From here, the Greeks started trading olive oil and wine to the surrounding areas. They received grain from Egypt, Sicily, and Southern Russia, salted fish from Spain and the Black Sea lands, timber from Macedon, tin from Anatolia, and slaves from Egypt and Russia. The greeks heavily relied on commerce instead of agriculture. The Greeks used commercial and economic organization mostly on their martitime trade. Shipowners, merchants, and money lenders, all formed partnerships to spread risks regarding commercial ventures. Voyage captains and ship owners borrowed from a banker of individual to purchase cargo. If a shipwreck took place however, the contract between the merchant and the lender became void. Greek entrepreneurs established small businesses, but offered their wares in the larger market. (S.N.) The productions of cultivators and manufacturers made up most of the trade. (T.T.) This lead to an increase in colonization. Through Panhellenic festivals, the Greeks reinforced their common bonds with their colonies or poleis. In these colonies, the people recognized the same gods, spoke the Greek dialects, and maintained commercial relations. At Panhellenic festivals, the colonists that gathered partake in athletic, literary, and musical contests to win glory between poleis. The most famous Panhellenic festival is the Olympic games. During these games, contests of speed, strength, skill take place. The contestants in these games were sent from there poleis to the Greek city of Olympia. These games started in 776 B.C.E. and took place every 4 years. In trade, caravans carried the less bulkier goods, while the sea lanes of the Mediterranean Sean, the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Arabian Sea all carried heaver goods. (S.N.)
Family and Society
Partriarchal society was the main adopted version of the family structure. The establishment of poleis took place in the 8th cntury B.C.E., which brought the nature of family and society a clearer focus. Like most societies, the Greeks family head was male. The family head ruled, and could even decide whether to keep a newborn infant or not. It was illegal to kill these infants, but you would dispose of the infant in the mountains or in the country and let the nature take its life. In patriarchal society, women spent most of their time in the family home, and if they did venture out, servants and chaperones would accompany them. In public, women would wear a veil to discourage attention from other men. Women could not own landed property, and the only public position they could have was being a priestess or religious cult leader. However, they could own small businesses. (S.N) This exception to this society was Sparta, where women could participate in sports and hold public offices, although men were still in charge. (T.T.) Literacy was common in upper class Greek women, and some even earned literary talent. One of these women was Sappho, a poet from 600 B.C.E. Critics charged her though with homosexuality, which was frowned upon, causing her to fall under a moral cloud, only leaving fragments of her poetry today. Slavery was very popular during these times. Slaves were either people who sold themselves into slavery because they were in debt, prisoners of war, or people of the slave trade. (S.N.)Unskilled slaves usually worked as cultivators or domestic servants. Skilled and educated slaves worked as craftsmen and business managers and were sometimes allowed to keep part of their earnings and could eventually buy their freedom. (M.M.)
Sappho the poet
The Cultural life of Classical Greece
The culture of Greece was a mix of Mesopotamian and Egyptian culture. They adapted the Phoenician alphabet of 22 characters, and added vowels. (T.T.) The formation of Greek cultural traditions is a philosophy based on human reason. Socrates (470-399 BCE) was a philosopher who believed that "an unexamined life is one not worth living." He encouraged reflections on questions of morality and honor. He was convicted of corrupting the Athenian youth and put to death. Plato (430-347 BCE) a zealous disciple of Socrates had the theory of Forms or Ideas. He believed in a world of ideal qualities. His writing, the Republic, expressed the ideal of philosophical kings. Aristotle (384-322 BCE) was one of Plato's students, but didn't believe the theory of forms. He made a list of riles of logic to make powerful arguments. He believed that philosophers should rely on their senses to provide accurate information. (M.M.) The teachings of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are important because they provided a powerful intellectual framework that later shaped the world and other human affairs. (T.T.)
Popular Religion and Greek Drama:
Because of not having an advanced education, most Greeks turned to traditions of popular religion and culture. At this time, they did not believe in a single all-powerful god. Over the course of time, unexplainable elements such as wind, rain, and the sun were personified and eventually, people began to thinks of these elements as gods. They constructed myths that related the stories of the gods, their relations with one another, and their roles in creating the present day Earth. Numerous deities came to represent many different things. The god Apollo promoted wisdom and justice, the goddess Fortune brought unexpected opportunities and difficulties, and the Furies wreaked vengeance on those who violated divine law. Greek myths served as foundations for religious cults. A very popular cult was known as the Eleusinian mysteries- which encouraged high moral standards. As women could not participate in legal and political life, there were some cults which only allowed women in order to give women roles in society outside of the home. Women were the most prominent followers of Dionysus, the god of wine. Euripides, a famous dramatist, recognized that there were powerful emotional bonds that geld together the Dionysian community. During the fifth century B.C.E., the poleis strengthened their grip on public and political life, the Dionysian cult drastically changed. Emotional festivals were replaced by presentations of plays that honored the traditions of the polis and examined the relations between human beings and the gods. The transformation of the Dionysus's cult was the basis for the emergence of Greek dramatic literature. Thousands of plays were written during this time. The themes of these plays ranged from subtle and complicated, to comical. (T.B.)
Hellenistic Philosophy and Religion:
As the Hellenistic empires seized political control in the Mediterranean basin, Greek philosophy and religion lost their civic character. Because of this large administrative power, residents disregarded their polis as the focus of their loyalties. They began to resort to cultural and religious alternatives that were of interest to individuals living in a large sophisticated society. Popular culture was more accessible to the lower classes, so those beliefs gained more support. The most popular beliefs were that of Zeus, the main controlling god and his brothers and sisters. There were various religious cults present in Greek culture as well, the cult of Dionysus being the most popular. These cults brought a powerful sense of community to Classical Greece. These cults started out crazed but later became more tamed and controlled. In relation to popular culture, tragic dramas were performed at annual theatrical festivals. Great tragedians explored possibilities and limitations of human action. Comic drama took delight in poking fun at public figures. (T.T.) The most popular Hellenistic philosophers: the Epicureans, Skeptics, and Stoics focused on individual needs by searching for personal tranquility. The Epicureans identified pleasure, the state of quiet satisfaction, as the greatest good. The Skeptics doubted the possibility of certain knowledge and refused to take strong positions on social, moral, or political issues. The most influential Hellenistic philosophers were the Stoics, who considered all human beings as members of a universal family. The Stoics taught that individuals had the duty to aid others and lead virtuous lives. While the philosophers' doctrines appealed to educated nobles, religions of salvation had surging popularity in Hellenistic society. These religions promised eternal bliss for followers who observed their rites and lived in accordance with their doctrines. Some of these faiths spread across trade routes and gained followers from far away places. Cults from Persia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and Greece attracted disciples throughout the Hellenistic world. Many of these religions involved the worship of a savior whose death and resurrection would lead the way to eternal salvation for the followers. Both Hellenistic philosophies and religions were centered around individuals searching for security in a complex world. (T.B.) Monotheism begins to emerge. (T.T.)
Chronology:
Around 600 BCE - Life of Sappho 470-399 BCE - Life of Socrates 430-347 BCE - Life of Plato 384-322 BCE - Life of Aristotle
(T.T.)
Greek Economy, Society, and Cultural Life (245-255)
The Fruits of Trade: Greek Economy and Society
The Greek Peninsula's geographic position posed many challenges. (S.N.) Rocky soil prevented some agriculture and mountainous regions hindered travel and communication, (T.T.) but the Greeks put forth and immense effort that made trade possible. The Greeks depended on maritime trade because of the Balkan Mountains. (S.N.)
Trade and Integration of the Mediterranean Basin
The Mediterranean region did not support much grain production so it relied on the cultivation of grapes and olives. From here, the Greeks started trading olive oil a
Family and Society
Partriarchal society was the main adopted version of the family structure. The establishment of poleis took place in the 8th cntury B.C.E., which brought the nature of family and society a clearer focus. Like most societies, the Greeks family head was male. The family head ruled, and could even decide whether to keep a newborn infant or not. It was illegal to kill these infants, but you would dispose of the infant in the mountains or in the country and let the nature take its life. In patriarchal society, women spent most of their time in the family home, and if they did venture out, servants and chaperones would accompany them. In public, women would wear a veil to discourage attention from other men. Women could not own landed property, and the only public position they could have was being a priestess or religious cult leader. However, they could own small businesses. (S.N) This exception to this society was Sparta, where women could participate in sports and hold public offices, although men were still in charge. (T.T.) Literacy was common in upper class Greek women, and some even earned literary talent. One of these women was Sappho, a poet from 600 B.C.E. Critics charged her though with homosexuality, which was frowned upon, causing her to fall under a moral cloud, only leaving fragments of her poetry today. Slavery was very popular during these times. Slaves were either people who sold themselves into slavery because they were in debt, prisoners of war, or people of the slave trade. (S.N.)Unskilled slaves usually worked as cultivators or domestic servants. Skilled and educated slaves worked as craftsmen and business managers and were sometimes allowed to keep part of their earnings and could eventually buy their freedom. (M.M.)
The Cultural life of Classical Greece
The culture of Greece was a mix of Mesopotamian and Egyptian culture. They adapted the Phoenician alphabet of 22 characters, and added vowels. (T.T.) The formation of Greek cultural traditions is a philosophy based on human reason. Socrates (470-399 BCE) was a philosopher who believed that "an unexamined life is one not worth living." He encouraged reflections on questions of morality and honor. He was convicted of corrupting the Athenian youth and put to death. Plato (430-347 BCE) a zealous disciple of
Popular Religion and Greek Drama:
Because of not having an advanced education, most Greeks turned to traditions of popular religion and culture. At this time, they did not believe in a single all-powerful god. Over the course of time, unexplainable elements such as wind, rain, and the sun were personified and eventually, people began to thinks of these elements as gods. They constructed myths that related the stories of the gods, their relations with one another, and their roles in creating the present day Earth. Numerous deities came to represent many different things. The god Apollo promoted wisdom and justice, the goddess Fortune brought unexpected opportunities and difficulties, and the Furies wreaked vengeance on those who violated divine law. Greek myths served as foundations for religious cults. A very popular cult was known as the Eleusinian mysteries- which encouraged high moral standards. As women could not participate in legal and political life, there were some cults which only allowed women in order to give women roles in society outside of the home. Women were the most prominent followers of Dionysus, the god of wine.
Hellenistic Philosophy and Religion:
As the Hellenistic empires seized political control in the Mediterranean basin, Greek philosophy and religion lost their civic character. Because of this large administrative power, residents disregarded their polis as the focus of their loyalties. They began to resort to cultural and religious alternatives that were of interest to individuals living in a large sophisticated society. Popular culture was more accessible to the lower classes, so those beliefs gained more support. The most popular beliefs were that of Zeus, the main controlling god and his brothers and sisters. There were various religious cults present in Greek culture as well, the cult of Dionysus being the most popular. These cults brought a powerful sense of community to Classical Greece. These cults started out crazed but later became more tamed and controlled. In relation to popular culture, tragic dramas were performed at annual theatrical festivals. Great tragedians explored possibilities and limitations of human action. Comic drama took delight in poking fun at public figures. (T.T.) The most popular Hellenistic philosophers: the Epicureans, Skeptics, and Stoics focused on individual needs by searching for personal tranquility. The Epicureans identified pleasure, the state of quiet satisfaction, as the greatest good. The Skeptics doubted the possibility of certain knowledge and refused to take strong positions on social, moral, or political issues. The most influential Hellenistic philosophers were the Stoics, who considered all human beings as members of a universal family. The Stoics taught that individuals had the duty to aid others and lead virtuous lives. While the philosophers' doctrines appealed to educated nobles, religions of salvation had surging popularity in Hellenistic society. These religions promised eternal bliss for followers who observed their rites and lived in accordance with their doctrines. Some of these faiths spread across trade routes and gained followers from far away places. Cults from Persia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and Greece attracted disciples throughout the Hellenistic world. Many of these religions involved the worship of a savior whose death and resurrection would lead the way to eternal salvation for the followers. Both Hellenistic philosophies and religions were centered around individuals searching for security in a complex world. (T.B.) Monotheism begins to emerge. (T.T.)
Chronology:
Around 600 BCE - Life of Sappho
470-399 BCE - Life of Socrates
430-347 BCE - Life of Plato
384-322 BCE - Life of Aristotle
(T.T.)
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